This is not just a tale of trees, but of the symbolism of the cherry tree to Japan: of endeavour, war and reconciliation

Sympathetic and engrossing... a portrait of great charm and sophistication, rich in its natural and historical range, guaranteeing that you won’t look at cherry blossoms the same way again

A remarkable book…excellent...fascinating, a treat for gardeners, cherry-growers and historians

[A] deeply moving book -- beautifully written, and a huge achievement in terms of research

Set against the narrative arc of Japanese history, journalist Naoko Abe's account of the man behind the preservation of her country's national symbol is both sympathetic and compelling... On reading this book, beautifully illustrated with atmospheric period shots and colour plates, you may well determine, as I have, to visit Japan at cherry blossom time

[A] lovely book… Two tensions animate this book: the difficulty of sending fragile scions around the world and successfully grafting them; and the wrenching historical context… It is hard to view the blossoms of the somei-yashino with such tender joy after reading Ms Abe’s book

An engaging biography of a man who "helped to change the face of spring"

A page turner... Naoko Abe parallels her biography with a comprehensive history of cherries, intersected with major moments in Japanese history... There is a heartwarming end to the tale that the author spins with skill and erudition

‘Cherry’ Ingram is a meticulously researched book: Abe undertook dozens of interviews with relatives of the sakuramori… [and] sifted through Ingram’s extensive diaries and condenses the often impenetrable history of Japan’s feudal and imperial ages

After reading [‘Cherry’ Ingram], the annual ritual of hanami (flower-viewing) will never be quite the same again… an extraordinary story

In retelling [Ingram’s] story from her own cultural perspective, Abe has produced an engaging work that adds illuminating definition to the world about which he wrote

An enchanting story about an Englishman’s attempts to preserve Japan’s rich cherry tree heritage in the face of rapid modernization

An admiring and engaging portrait of an eccentric British enthusiast, one of the last great amateur naturalists of the Edwardian Era

Remarkable… Combining vast historical research, perceptive cultural interpretation, and a gift for keen, biographical storytelling, Abe’s study of one man’s passion for a singular plant species celebrates the beneficial impact such enthusiasts can have on the world at large

Lovers of the outdoors, especially gardeners, will find much to enjoy in Japanese journalist Abe’s first English-language book, which won the Nihon Essayist Club Award in 2016. The author engagingly chronicles the travels and plant-collecting adventures of Collingwood Ingram… Charming

Like the sakura itself, Ms. Abe’s book is a quiet pleasure

Instead of looking at what we have done to the Earth, he examines what it has done to us, interweaving the physical and social sciences in a clear, logical and joyously entertaining way… [a] wonderful book